Cartridge holder for beverage machine

ABSTRACT

A beverage making machine having a cartridge holder with an upper portion movable in pivotal and/or linear ways relative to a lower portion. An actuator for the cartridge portion may include a handle-actuated spur gear and link to move the upper portion, which may be guided in movement via a cam and cam follower engagement. Information from a cartridge detector may be used based on movement of cartridge holder portions, e.g., as an upper portion moves from an open position to a closed position. A mixing chamber may be held by a drawer so as to be removable, and movement of the drawer may engage/disengage the mixing chamber from a fluid supply.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/117,035, filed Feb. 17, 2015, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The inventions described herein relate to a device for holding acartridge to form a beverage, e.g., for preparing a carbonated beverage.Systems for carbonating liquids and/or mixing liquids with a beveragemedium to form a beverage are described in a wide variety ofpublications, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,025,655; 4,040,342; 4,636,337;6,712,342 and 5,182,084; and PCT Publication WO 2008/124851.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Aspects of the invention provide a beverage making machine having acartridge holder arranged to hold a cartridge containing a material usedby the beverage making machine to form a beverage. The cartridge maycontain a gas source configured to release a pressurized gas used tocarbonate a beverage and/or a beverage medium, such as a flavoring, usedto flavor a beverage. The cartridge holder may include a lower portionarranged to receive and hold a cartridge placed at a cartridge receivingarea of the lower portion, and an upper portion movable relative to thelower portion between an open position in which the cartridge receivingarea is exposed for placement of a cartridge and a closed position inwhich the upper and lower portions enclose the cartridge to accessmaterial in the cartridge to form a beverage. An actuator may bearranged to move the lid between the open and closed positions, with theupper portion being arranged to move pivotally relative to the lowerportion during an initial phase of movement from the open positiontoward the closed position, and being arranged to move linearly relativeto the lower portion during a later phase of movement from the openposition toward the closed position. This configuration may allow theupper portion to be positioned rearwardly and away from the lowerportion at the open position, better exposing the cartridge receivingarea, and allow for more accurate clamping and/or piercing of thecartridge during the linear phase of movement near the closed position.The machine may include other components to form a beverage, such as aprecursor liquid supply to provide precursor liquid used to form abeverage using the material in the cartridge, control circuitry tocontrol component operation, etc.

In one embodiment, the machine may include a frame arranged to supportcomponents of the beverage making machine and having a cam or camfollower. Correspondingly, the upper portion may include the other of acam or cam follower arranged to engage with the cam or cam follower ofthe frame such that movement of the upper portion relative to the framecauses the cam or cam follower of the upper portion to move relative tothe cam or cam follower of the frame thereby causing the upper portionto move pivotally relative to the frame during the initial phase ofmovement and to move linearly relative to the frame during the laterphase of movement. In some embodiments, the upper portion includes a camfollower arranged to engage with a cam of the frame, e.g., the upperportion may include forward and rear cam followers arranged to engage,respectively, with forward and rear cams of the frame. In one case, therear cam is linear and the forward cam has an S-shape so as to providethe desired movement of the upper portion. The cam followers may be pinsand the cams are grooves in which the pins may slide.

In one embodiment, the actuator may include a handle pivotally mountedto the frame and having a handle gear arranged to drive movement of theupper portion with movement of the handle. The actuator may furtherinclude a spur gear having a strut, with the spur gear being pivotallymounted to the frame and engaged with the handle gear such that movementof the handle causes rotation of the spur gear. A link may be connectedat a first end to the strut and connected at a second end to the upperportion such that rotation of the spur gear causes movement of the upperportion relative to the frame. In one embodiment, the actuator includesa detent that operates to retain the handle at a position correspondingto the open position for the upper portion and at a positioncorresponding to the closed position for the upper portion.

In some cases, the upper portion includes a piston arranged for axialmovement relative to the upper portion, with the upper portion and thepiston defining a pressure chamber arranged to receive a portion of thecartridge. In some cases, pressure in the pressure chamber causes thepiston to move downwardly relative to the upper portion and exert aclamping force on the cartridge. The upper portion may be arranged toclamp the cartridge in place so as to force a bottom of the cartridgeinto an opening structure that causes an outlet at the bottom of thecartridge to open. For example, the cartridge outlet may be piercableand the upper portion may force the outlet into contact with a piercingstructure to cause the outlet to open. The lower portion may include abasket to receive the cartridge, and the basket may be movable in avertical direction relative to the lower portion. In some embodiments,the basket may be spring biased to move upwardly e.g., to hold thecartridge in an upper position upon receipt. Downward movement of thecartridge against the spring bias may cause a dispensing gas piercingelement to pierce the cartridge, e.g., to introduce pressurized gas orliquid into the cartridge to move beverage medium out of the cartridge.Also, the upper portion may be arranged to pierce the cartridge, e.g.,to introduce an activating liquid to the cartridge that causes releaseof a gas from a gas source in the cartridge.

In another aspect of the invention, a beverage making machine includes aframe arranged to support components of the beverage making machine withthe frame having a forward cam or cam follower and a rear cam or camfollower. A cartridge holder may be supported by the frame and arrangedto hold a cartridge containing a material used by the beverage makingmachine to form a beverage. The cartridge holder may include a lowerportion arranged to receive and hold a cartridge placed at a cartridgereceiving area of the lower portion, and an upper portion having aforward cam follower or cam arranged to engage with the forward cam orcam follower of the frame, and a rear cam follower or cam arranged toengage with the rear cam or cam follower of the frame. Engagement of theforward and rear cams and cam followers may control movement of theupper portion relative to the lower portion between an open position inwhich the cartridge receiving area is exposed for placement of acartridge and a closed position in which the upper and lower portionsenclose the cartridge to access material in the cartridge to form abeverage. An actuator may be arranged to move the lid between the openand closed positions. The machine may include other components, such asa precursor liquid supply to provide precursor liquid used to form abeverage using the material in the cartridge. Other elements describedabove, such as the actuator including a handle, etc., may be included aswell.

In another aspect of the invention, a beverage making machine includes aframe arranged to support components of the beverage making machine, anda cartridge holder supported by the frame and arranged to hold acartridge containing a material used by the beverage making machine toform a beverage. The cartridge holder may include a lower portionarranged to receive and hold a cartridge placed at a cartridge receivingarea of the lower portion, and an upper portion movable relative to thelower portion between an open position in which the cartridge receivingarea is exposed for placement of a cartridge and a closed position inwhich the upper and lower portions enclose the cartridge to accessmaterial in the cartridge to form a beverage. An actuator may bearranged to move the lid between the open and closed positions, with theactuator including a handle pivotally mounted to the frame and having ahandle gear, and a spur gear pivotally mounted to the frame and engagedwith the handle gear such that movement of the handle causes rotation ofthe spur gear. The spur gear may have a strut connected to the upperportion such that rotation of the spur gear causes movement of the upperportion relative to the frame. In some embodiments, a link is pivotallyconnected at a first end to the strut and pivotally connected at asecond end to the upper portion so that movement of the strut istransmitted to the upper portion. In some cases, the upper portion isarranged to move pivotally relative to the lower portion during aninitial phase of movement from the open position toward the closedposition, and arranged to move linearly relative to the lower portionduring a later phase of movement from the open position toward theclosed position. As also discussed above, the frame may include a cam orcam follower, and the upper portion may include the other of a cam orcam follower arranged to engage with the cam or cam follower of theframe so that movement of the upper portion relative to the frame causesthe cam or cam follower of the upper portion to move relative to the camor cam follower of the frame thereby causing the upper portion to movebetween the open and closed positions relative to the frame. In someembodiments, movement of the upper portion relative to the frame causesthe cam or cam follower of the upper portion to move relative to the camor cam follower of the frame thereby causing the upper portion to movepivotally relative to the frame during an initial phase of movement andto move linearly relative to the frame during a later phase of movement.

In another aspect of the invention, a beverage making machine includes acartridge holder arranged to hold a cartridge containing a beveragemedium used by the beverage making machine to form a beverage, and aprecursor liquid supply having a dispense line arranged to provideprecursor liquid used to form a beverage using the beverage medium. Amixing chamber may be arranged to receive beverage medium from acartridge in the cartridge holder, to receive precursor liquid from thedispense line, and to mix the beverage medium and precursor liquid toform a beverage dispensed at a dispensing station of the machine. Themixing chamber may be mounted to a drawer that is removable from themachine by sliding, such that removal of the drawer from the machinedisengages the mixing chamber from the dispense line, and replacement ofthe drawer fluidly couples the mixing chamber with the dispense line.Such an arrangement may make removal and replacement of the mixingchamber much easier for a user, e.g., by allowing the user to manipulatea relatively larger and simpler drawer construction. The mixing chambermay be removable from the drawer, e.g., for cleaning and replacement.

In one embodiment, the mixing chamber includes a precursor liquid inletfluidly couplable to the dispense line, a beverage medium chamberarranged to receive beverage medium into the beverage medium chamber,and a dispense outlet from which beverage medium and precursor liquidare dispensed. The beverage medium chamber may include a chamber inletfluidly coupled to the precursor liquid inlet and a chamber outletdownstream of the chamber inlet and fluidly coupled to the dispenseoutlet so that with precursor liquid flowing from the precursor liquidinlet to the dispense outlet, pressurized beverage medium in thebeverage medium chamber flows through the chamber outlet to the dispenseoutlet and flow of precursor liquid into the beverage medium chamber viathe chamber inlet is prevented. However, in the absence of pressurizedbeverage medium in the beverage medium chamber and with precursor liquidflowing from the precursor liquid inlet to the dispense outlet,precursor liquid flows into the beverage medium chamber via the chamberinlet.

In one embodiment, the precursor liquid inlet and the dispense outletare connected by a 90 degree elbow such that the chamber inlet ispositioned at an upstream end of the 90 degree elbow, and the chamberoutlet is positioned at a downstream end of the 90 degree elbow. In somecases, the chamber inlet and chamber outlet are positioned at a radiallyouter wall of the 90 degree elbow, and the chamber outlet may include aplurality of channels that lead downwardly from the beverage mediumchamber. The chamber inlet may be oriented in a horizontal direction andthe chamber outlet may be arranged in a vertical direction. Thus, thebeverage medium chamber may be arranged to receive beverage medium thatflows in a downward direction from the cartridge, the chamber inlet maybe arranged to receive precursor liquid in a horizontal direction intothe beverage medium chamber, and the chamber outlet is arranged toconduct flow of beverage medium downwardly to the dispense outlet.

In some embodiments, the precursor liquid supply includes a carbonationtank having an inlet to receive precursor liquid, and an outlet todeliver precursor liquid from the tank to the dispense line Acarbonating gas supply line may be fluidly coupled to the carbonationtank to deliver carbon dioxide gas to the carbonation tank to carbonatethe precursor liquid. In some embodiments, the cartridge holder isarranged to provide carbon dioxide gas from a gas source in thecartridge to the carbonating gas supply line. Also, the precursor liquidsupply may be arranged to deliver precursor liquid to the gas source inthe cartridge to cause the gas source to release carbon dioxide.

In another aspect of the invention, a beverage making machine includes acartridge holder arranged to hold a cartridge containing a material usedby the beverage making machine to form a beverage. The cartridge holdermay include a lower portion arranged to receive and hold a cartridgeplaced at a cartridge receiving area of the lower portion, and an upperportion movable relative to the lower portion between an open positionin which the cartridge receiving area is exposed for placement of acartridge and a closed position in which the upper and lower portionsenclose the cartridge to access material in the cartridge to form abeverage. An actuator may move the lid between the open and closedpositions, and a precursor liquid supply may provide precursor liquidused to form a beverage using the material in the cartridge. A cartridgesensor may detect a presence of a cartridge at the cartridge receivingarea, and control circuitry including a holder sensor may detect theupper portion at the open position and at the closed position. Thecontrol circuitry may be arranged to activate the cartridge sensor whenthe holder sensor detects the upper portion is moved from the openposition and arranged to use information from the cartridge sensor onlyif the holder sensor detects the upper portion at the closed positionwithout again detecting the upper portion at the open position after thecartridge sensor is activated. Thus, the cartridge sensor may be able todetect the presence of a cartridge before the cartridge holder isclosed, yet the control circuitry can ensure that only valid cartridgepresence information is used to control machine operation. In oneembodiment, the holder sensor includes a first switch to detect theupper portion at the open position and a second switch to detect theupper portion at the closed position. Thus, the control circuitry may beable to confirm whether the upper portion is at the open position,closed position or an intermediate position. In one embodiment, thecartridge sensor includes an infrared light emitter and an infraredlight detector. In some cases, the cartridge sensor may be arranged todetect whether a cartridge is useable to form a carbonated beverage ornot, and the control circuitry may be arranged to receive informationfrom the cartridge sensor whether the cartridge is arranged to form acarbonated beverage or not and to control the machine accordingly. Insome embodiments, the control circuitry may include a second cartridgesensor arranged to detect whether a cartridge in the cartridge holder isauthorized for use by the machine.

As mentioned above, some aspects of the invention relate to carbonatingor otherwise dissolving a gas in a precursor liquid, such as water, toform a beverage. In some embodiments, a carbon dioxide or other gassource can be provided in a cartridge which is used to generate carbondioxide or other gas that is dissolved into the precursor liquid. Insome embodiments, a beverage medium, such as a powdered drink mix orliquid syrup, may be provided in the same, or a separate cartridge asthe gas source and mixed with the precursor liquid (either before orafter carbonation) to form a beverage. The use of one or more cartridgesfor the gas source and/or beverage medium may make for an easy to useand mess-free system for making carbonated or other sparkling beverages,e.g., in the consumer's home. (The term “carbonation” or “carbonated” isused herein to generically refer to beverages that have a dissolved gas,and thus refers to a sparkling beverage whether the dissolved gas iscarbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen, air or other gas. Thus, aspects of theinvention are not limited to forming beverages that have a dissolvedcarbon dioxide content, but rather may include any dissolved gas.)

Precursor liquid used to form the beverage may be carbonated in thefirst cartridge portion, or in one or more other areas (such as areservoir or membrane carbonator) to which gas is delivered such thatthe beverage does not contact the gas source material. Mixing of theprecursor liquid with beverage medium may occur before or aftercarbonation, and may occur in a second cartridge portion or in anotherlocation, such as a mixing chamber separate from the second cartridgeportion.

These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the invention are described with reference to the followingdrawings in which like numerals reference like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a beverage making machine in anillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the FIG. 1 beverage making machine;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a cartridge holder of the beveragemaking machine in an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 4 shows the view of FIG. 3 without a cartridge at a cartridgereceiving area;

FIG. 5 shows the view of FIG. 4 with the handle removed for clarity;

FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view along the line 6-6 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the lower portion of the cartridgeholder;

FIG. 8 shows a close up view of the cartridge receiving area of thecartridge holder;

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a drawer of the cartridge holderincluding a mixing chamber;

FIG. 10 shows a cross sectional view along the line 10-10 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of a mixing chamber in an illustrativeembodiment;

FIG. 12 shows a cross sectional view along the line 12-12 in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of a cartridge in an illustrativeembodiment;

FIG. 14 shows a cross sectional view of the FIG. 13 cartridge; and

FIG. 15 shows a schematic diagram of components of a beverage makingsystem in an illustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood that aspects of the invention are describedherein with reference to the figures, which show illustrativeembodiments. The illustrative embodiments described herein are notnecessarily intended to show all embodiments in accordance with theinvention, but rather are used to describe a few illustrativeembodiments. For example, aspects of the invention are described withreference to a specific cartridge embodiment, but aspects of theinvention are not limited to the cartridge arrangements describedherein. Thus, aspects of the invention are not intended to be construednarrowly in view of the illustrative embodiments. In addition, it shouldbe understood that aspects of the invention may be used alone or in anysuitable combination with other aspects of the invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an illustrative embodiment of a beverage makingmachine 1 that incorporates one or more aspects of the invention. Inthis embodiment, components of the beverage making machine 1 are locatedin or on a housing 21 which includes a drip tray 23 to support a user'scup or other container 18 and a reservoir 11 to provide water (aprecursor liquid) to make a beverage. In this case, the reservoir 11 isoptionally removable from the housing 21 and contains beverage precursorliquid that is used to form a beverage dispensed at a dispensing station29 into the user's container 18. The reservoir 11 includes a removablelid that can be removed to provide precursor liquid into the reservoir11, but such a lid is not required. Moreover, the reservoir 11 need notbe removable and/or may be replaced by a plumbed connection to a mainswater source. The beverage precursor liquid can be any suitable liquid,including water (e.g., flavored or otherwise treated water, such assweetened, filtered, deionized, softened, carbonated, etc.), or anyother suitable liquid used to form a beverage, such as milk, juice,coffee, tea, etc. (whether heated or cooled relative to room temperatureor not). The reservoir 11 is part of a beverage precursor supply whichprovides the precursor liquid for conditioning of some kind, e.g.,carbonation, filtering, chilling, mixing with a beverage medium, etc.,and subsequent dispensing as a beverage.

A cartridge 4 (see FIG. 2) containing a gas source and/or a beveragemedium may be associated with a cartridge holder 3 of the machine 1 sothat the machine 1 can use material in the cartridge to form a beverage.For example, the gas source may emit carbon dioxide or other gas whichis used by the machine 1 to carbonate the precursor liquid, and abeverage medium, such as a flavoring agent, may be mixed with precursorliquid, whether carbonated or not. In this embodiment, the cartridge 4may be associated with the cartridge holder 3 by moving an upper portion31 of the holder 3 to an open position (see FIG. 2) to expose acartridge receiving area of a lower portion 32 of the holder 3. Thecartridge 4 may be placed in the cartridge receiving area of the lowerportion 32 and then the upper portion 31 moved to the closed position byoperating a handle 81. Thereafter, a user may interact with an interface52, such as a touch screen, button or other device by which the user cancause the machine 1 to make a beverage. In response, the machine 1 mayaccess one or more compartments of the cartridge 4 and use material inthe cartridge 4 to form the beverage. Since the cartridge 4 may bereplaceable, a user may exchange the cartridge 4 to make differentbeverages, such as carbonated water only, a carbonated and flavoredbeverage, a still and flavored beverage, etc.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the upper portion of thecartridge holder may be moved by an actuator that includes a handlehaving a handle gear engaged with a spur gear that is connected to theupper portion. As a result, movement of the handle causes movement ofthe spur gear, thereby causing the upper portion to move relative to thelower portion. In one embodiment, a connecting link is connected betweena strut of the spur gear and the upper portion, e.g., the link may bepivotally connected to the strut at a first end, and pivotally connectedto the upper portion at a second end. Thus, the connecting link maytranslate motion of the spur gear to the upper portion.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show perspective views of the cartridge holder 3 in thisillustrative embodiment, both with and without a cartridge 4 near acartridge receiving area 32 a of the lower portion 32. FIGS. 3 and 4show the upper portion 31 in the open position with the cartridgereceiving area 32 a exposed for placement or removal of a cartridge 4.In this embodiment, an actuator 8 that causes movement of the upperportion 31 relative to the lower portion 32 includes a handle 81 havinga sector gear 82 fixed relative to the handle 81. The handle 81 andsector gear 82 are pivotally mounted to a frame 12 of the machine 1 soas to be rotatable about a handle axis 101. A spur gear 83 is engagedwith the gear 82 and is pivotally mounted to the frame 12 about a spuraxis 102. Thus, rotation of the handle 81 and gear 82 causes rotation ofthe spur gear 83. The spur gear 83 has a strut 84 fixed to the spur gear83 so that the strut 84 rotates with the spur gear 83. A connecting link85 has a first end pivotally attached to the strut 84 and a second endpivotally attached to the upper portion 31. As a result, rotation of thehandle 81 causes the upper portion 31 to move relative to the lowerportion 32 between open and closed positions. Note that the connectinglink 85 is not required, and instead the strut 84 may be connecteddirectly to the upper portion 31, if desired. Also, in this embodiment,the actuator 8 includes two gears 82, two spur gears 83 and twoconnecting links 85, i.e., one set on each side of the cartridgereceiving area 32 a where the handle 81 is attached to the frame 12.However, only one set, such as the right-side set shown in FIGS. 3 and 4may be used.

FIG. 5 shows a view of the cartridge holder and actuator similar to thatin FIG. 4, but the handle 81 has been removed for clarity. As can beseen, rotation of the gear 82 in a counterclockwise direction about thehandle axis 101 causes the spur gear to rotate in a clockwise directionabout the spur axis 102. This causes the strut 84 to move along anarcuate path in the clockwise direction, which pulls the first end ofthe connecting link 85 downwardly. As a result, the upper portion 31 ispulled downwardly by the connecting link 85 toward the closed position.Rotation of the handle 81 and gear 82 in the opposite direction causesthe link 85 to move the upper portion 31 away from the lower portion 32and to the open position.

The handle 81 may also include a detent that provides tactile feedbackto the user, such as when the upper portion arrives at the open positionand/or the closed position, as well as provide a retaining force to helpkeep the upper portion at the open or closed position in the absence ofa suitably large force to move the handle 81. While the detent may beimplemented in different ways, in this embodiment, the detent 86 mayinclude a pair of elements that are mounted to pivot about the handleaxis 101 and are spring biased toward each other to provide the detentfeatures. FIG. 7 shows one half of the detent 86 which has a“castle-nut” type feature that meshes with a corresponding element notshown. A spring may provide the desired biasing force to urge thecastle-nut elements toward each other, and may be held in place by ascrew that attaches the handle 81 to its pivot point on the frame 12.Other detent configurations are possible, however, such as aspring-loaded ball type, and others.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, movement of theupper portion relative to a frame of the machine may be controlled inpart by interaction of a cam or cam follower on the upper portion with acorresponding cam or cam follower on the frame. For example, the upperportion may include a cam follower that engages with and follows aprofile of a cam on the frame. Such an arrangement may allow for a widevariety of different movements of the upper portion relative to thelower portion and frame since movement of the upper portion may bedictated by the shape of one or more cams. In one embodiment, the upperportion may be capable of pivotal movement about an axis that does nothave a fixed location, and instead may move with movement of the upperportion, e.g., the pivot axis may move rearwardly relative to thecartridge receiving area as the upper portion moves toward the openposition. In other embodiments, the upper portion may pivot in oneportion of its movement (the pivot axis may be movable), but movelinearly in another portion of its movement. For example, in accordancewith one aspect of the invention, the upper portion of the cartridgeholder may be arranged to move pivotally in an initial phase of motionfrom the open position toward the closed position, and then movelinearly relative to the lower portion in a later phase of motion towardthe closed position. Such motion may provide at least two advantages,including a) pivotal movement of the upper portion may help move theupper portion away from the cartridge receiving area of the lowerportion, thereby allowing easier access to the cartridge receiving area,and b) linear movement of the upper portion may help with proper seatingof the cartridge in the holder, proper piercing of the cartridge (ifemployed), proper sealing of the upper portion with the cartridge (ifemployed) or other features. That is, cartridge holders that have anupper portion which moves only pivotally can suffer from improperpiercing of a cartridge, e.g., because a piercing element may move alongan arc when piercing the cartridge, which may cause tearing of thecartridge. In addition, or alternately, arcuate movement of the upperportion may cause the upper portion to engage a cartridge at one sidebefore the other (e.g., a side of the cartridge nearest the pivot axisof the upper portion), and thus cause the cartridge to be improperlyseated and/or an improper seal with the cartridge to be formed. On theother hand, cartridge holders that have an upper portion move only alonga linear path typically have the upper portion positioned over acartridge receiving area when the upper portion is in an open position,thus blocking access to the receiving area or requiring that thereceiving area be movable, e.g., slidable away from the upper portion toallow access to the receiving area.

FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view of the cartridge holder along theline 6-6 in FIG. 3. As can be seen, in this embodiment, the upperportion 31 includes a cam follower—specifically forward and rear camfollowers 34, 35—and the forward and rear cam followers 34, 35 engagewith forward and rear cams 17, 19 of the frame 12. The shape of the cams17, 19 and the location of the cam followers 34, 35 on the upper portion31 cause the upper portion 31 to move pivotally in an initial phase ofmotion from an open position (i.e., where the rear cam follower 35 islocated near or at a bottom of the forward cam 19 and the forward camfollower 34 is located at an upper-right location of the forward cam 17)toward a closed position (where the rear cam follower 35 is near anuppermost end of the rear cam 19 and the forward cam follower 34 is at alower-left location of the forward cam 17). However, after an initialphase of pivotal movement of the upper portion 31 relative to the frame12, the upper portion 31 may move linearly relative to the frame 12,e.g., as the upper portion 31 moves very close to the lower portion 32to clamp the cartridge 4 in place. As can be seen, this arrangementallows the upper portion 31 to move generally upwardly from the closedposition to disengage from the cartridge, and then slide rearwardly andpivot upwardly to the open position. This causes the upper portion 31 tomove away from the cartridge receiving area 32 a, allowing easier accessto the area 32 a. This motion of the upper portion 31 is driven by theactuator 8, but the connecting link 85 allows for guidance of the motionof the upper portion 31 to be controlled by the cam/cam followerengagement. To aid in better understanding of the shape of the cams 17,19 in this embodiment, FIG. 7 shows a top perspective view of the lowerportion 32 with the upper portion 31 removed. As can be seen, the rearcam 19 has a sloped, linear shape or arrangement, and the forward cam 17has a S-shape. Other arrangements are possible regarding the cam shape.Moreover, it is possible to have a cam follower on the frame 12 and camon the upper portion 31, if desired. Also, only a single cam and camfollower arrangement, rather than forward and rear cam/cam followersets, may be used to guide movement of the upper portion 31.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the beverage makingmachine may have control circuitry arranged to activate a cartridgesensor to detect for the presence of a cartridge in the cartridge holderin response to movement of the upper portion from the open position, andthe control circuitry may use information from the cartridge sensor onlyif the upper portion is detected to arrive at the closed positionwithout returning to the open position after the cartridge sensor isactivated. This may enable the machine to detect the presence of acartridge prior to closure of the cartridge holder, yet ensure that thecartridge detector information is valid. For example, a user may place acartridge in the cartridge holder and then begin closing the cartridgeholder, causing activation of the cartridge sensor and the sensing ofthe presence of the cartridge. However, the user may decide not to makea beverage using the cartridge and allow the upper portion to move tothe open position without ever arriving at the closed position. In thiscase, the control circuitry may disregard the cartridge sensorinformation because the upper portion returned to the open position.However, if the upper portion is moved from the open position to theclosed position without returning to the open position, the cartridgesensor information regarding detection of the presence of the cartridgemay be used. Thus, upon detecting that the cartridge holder is closed,the control circuitry may validate the cartridge sensor information andproceed with beverage production. By activating the cartridge sensorbefore the cartridge holder is actually closed, the control circuitrymay shorten the amount of time the machine needs to verify that acartridge is in place and ready the machine to prepare a beverage. Also,in some embodiments, the cartridge sensor may be able to distinguishbetween different types of cartridges and provide this information tothe control circuitry. For example, the cartridge sensor may be able todetect whether a cartridge in the cartridge holder is suitable for usein making a carbonated beverage or not. If so, the control circuitry maycontrol the machine to make a carbonated beverage, but otherwise themachine may be controlled to make a non-carbonated beverage.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, control circuitry for the machine 1 in thisembodiment includes a pair of switches, i.e., an open position switch121 and a closed position switch 122. Of course, the position of theupper portion 31 may be detected in other ways, but in this embodiment,the open position switch 121 is closed when a portion of the gear 82contacts the open position switch 121 with the upper portion 31 in theopen position. However, as the gear 82 is rotated to move the upperportion 31 away from the open position, the open position switch 121opens, signaling to the control circuitry that the upper portion 31 hasmoved from the open position. In response, the control circuitry mayactivate a cartridge sensor to detect the presence or absence of acartridge at the cartridge receiving area 32 a. A cartridge 4 may bedetected in a variety of ways, such as by a mechanical switch, opticalsensor, etc., but in this embodiment, the cartridge sensor 123 includesan infrared light emitter and detector positioned adjacent the cartridgereceiving area 32 a (see FIG. 8). When activated, the cartridge sensor123 emits an infrared light that is reflected by a cartridge 4, ifpresent, and is detected by the sensor 123. If a cartridge 4 is notpresent, the light is not reflected and thus not detected by the sensor123. Also, in some embodiments the infrared detector or other sensor maybe able to distinguish between cartridge types, such as a cartridge tobe used for making carbonated beverages or not. An infrared detector maymake such a distinction based on detecting a feature on the cartridge,such as a reflective element, a size or shape feature of the cartridge,etc.

When the upper portion 31 arrives at the closed position, the closedposition switch 122 is closed by a portion of the gear 82 contacting theswitch 122. If the closed position switch 122 detects the upper portion31 at the closed position after the cartridge sensor 123 is activatedand the open position switch 121 has not detected the upper portion 31at the open position after activation of the cartridge sensor 123, thecontrol circuitry can use the cartridge sensor 123 information tocontrol machine operation. For example, the detected presence of acartridge 4 may allow the machine 1 to continue to prepare a beverage,whereas the absence of a cartridge 4 may cause the display of an errormessage or other prompt to a user. If however, the open position switch121 detects the upper portion 31 at the open position after activationof the cartridge sensor 123, the control circuitry may disregard anyinformation provided by the cartridge sensor 123. In some embodiments,an additional cartridge sensor may be employed, such as a secondcartridge sensor 124 shown in FIG. 8. In this embodiment the secondcartridge sensor 124 may detect whether a cartridge is authorized foruse, e.g., carries a security ink, a specific marking, a properlyencoded RFID tag, etc. This information may be used by the controlcircuitry to allow the machine to prepare a beverage using the cartridgeor not.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the beverage makingmachine may include a mixing chamber arranged to receive beverage mediumfrom a cartridge in the cartridge holder, to receive precursor liquidfrom a dispense line of the precursor liquid supply, and to mix thebeverage medium and precursor liquid to form a beverage dispensed at adispensing station of the machine. Moreover, the mixing chamber may bemounted to a drawer that is removable from the machine by sliding, withremoval of the drawer from the machine disengaging the mixing chamberfrom the dispense line, and replacement of the drawer fluidly couplingthe mixing chamber with the dispense line. This arrangement may allowfor a convenient way to remove a mixing chamber for cleaning,replacement, or other purpose. For example, different mixing chambersmay be used to prepare different beverages, e.g., one mixing chamber mayprovide a foaming action, while another mixing chamber may minimizefoaming By mounting the mixing chamber in a drawer, a user may avoidhandling a potentially small and clumsy mixing chamber. In addition,mounting of the drawer on the machine 1 may be relatively easy tounderstand and perform for a user, whereas mounting of a mixing chamberalone may be difficult or confusing.

FIGS. 3 and 6 show a drawer 16 slidably engaged with the lower portion32 of the cartridge holder 3 and in the closed position so the mixingchamber 9 (not shown in FIG. 3) is in place to receive beverage mediumfrom a cartridge 4 and to receive precursor liquid from a dispense line38. FIG. 4, on the other hand, shows the drawer 16 in an open positionin which the drawer 16 is disengaged from the lower portion 32. FIG. 9shows a rear perspective view of the drawer 16 and illustrates aconnector 161 that mates with the dispense line 38 when the drawer 16 isengaged with the lower portion 32. In this embodiment, the connector 161includes a tube and o-ring gasket that fit inside of an end of thedispense line 38 to fluidly couple the mixing chamber 9 to the dispenseline 38. However, other arrangements are possible. FIG. 9 also shows apair of channels 162 of the drawer 16 that receive rails on the lowerportion 32 and guide movement of the drawer 16 relative to the lowerportion 32. A detent 163 may provide a locking feature that helps retainthe drawer 16 in the closed position, as well as provide tactilefeedback to a user to confirm that the drawer 16 is properly seated andthe connector 161 is properly positioned to sealingly engage thedispense line 38. FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view along the line10-10 in FIG. 9 and illustrates a condition when the drawer 16 is near,but not at, its closed position. As can be seen, the connector 161 islocated just in front of a corresponding connector of the dispense line38 and positioned such that the connector 161 is received into thedispense line 38 connector when the drawer 16 is pushed to the closedposition. (FIG. 6 shows the drawer 16 in the closed position.)

FIGS. 11 and 12 show perspective views of a mixing chamber 9 that may beused with the beverage making machine 1. In this embodiment, the mixingchamber 9 has three main sections, i.e., a syrup chamber 96 thatreceives beverage medium from a cartridge 4, a precursor liquid inlet 97that is coupled to the connector 161, and a dispense outlet 93 whereprecursor liquid and/or beverage medium are dispensed. Beverage medium(in this case a syrup) may exit the cartridge 4 and enter the syrupchamber 96 via pressurized gas or liquid introduced into the cartridge 4that forces the syrup to leave the cartridge 4. The pressure in thecartridge 4 and in the syrup chamber 96 may also force the beveragemedium to move to a syrup chamber outlet 95 where the beverage mediumcan flow to the dispense outlet 93. The syrup chamber outlet 95 mayinclude multiple channels that lead downwardly from the syrup chamber96, e.g., so that relatively thin streams of syrup pass to the dispenseoutlet 93. These thin streams of beverage medium may allow for fastermixing or other combination with precursor liquid that flows from theliquid inlet 97 to the dispense outlet 93. The syrup chamber 96 also hasa syrup chamber inlet 94 that is in communication with the precursorliquid inlet 97. So long as relatively high pressure is present in thesyrup chamber 96 (due to pressurized gas or liquid being introduced intothe cartridge 4), precursor liquid will generally not enter the syrupchamber 96 via the syrup chamber inlet 94. However, once pressure in thesyrup chamber 96 drops to a suitable level, precursor liquid may enterthe syrup chamber 96 through the syrup chamber inlet 94. (As will beunderstood, the size, shape and/or position of the syrup chamber inlet94 opening(s) may influence how, whether and when precursor liquidenters the syrup chamber 96.) Precursor liquid in the syrup chamber 96may mix with any beverage medium that is present, as well as wash orrinse the syrup chamber 96 and syrup chamber outlet 95 of beveragemedium. Accordingly, dispensing of beverage medium from the cartridge 4may be suitably timed to start during flow of precursor liquid into themixing chamber 9, and end before the flow of precursor liquid into themixing chamber stops. In this way, the beverage medium may mix withprecursor liquid as it is dispensed from the cartridge 4, and oncebeverage medium dispensing is complete, precursor liquid may rinse thesyrup chamber 96 and syrup chamber outlet 95, e.g., so that little or nobeverage medium is present in the syrup chamber 96 once beveragedispensing is complete.

As can be seen in FIGS. 11 and 12, the component that defines the mixingchamber 9 may also include an outlet piercing element that opens anoutlet of a cartridge 4. That is, the mixing chamber 9 may include anannular rim 91 that functions to open an outlet of the cartridge, asdiscussed below. Moreover, the mixing chamber 9 may be removable fromthe drawer 16, e.g., for cleaning or replacement.

It should be understood that modifications to the illustrativeembodiment above are possible. For example, the beverage medium could bedriven from the cartridge 4 in other ways, such as by carbon dioxide gaspressure created by the cartridge 4, by gravity, by suction created byan adductor pump, venturi or other arrangement, etc., and the beveragemedium may be dispensed directly into a user's cup where the precursorliquid is also introduced. Rinsing of the mixing chamber 9 may or maynot be necessary, e.g., to help prevent cross contamination betweenbeverages. In some arrangements, the entire volume of beverage mediummay be discharged into the mixing chamber, causing initial amounts offlavored precursor liquid exiting the mixing chamber 9 to have a highbeverage medium concentration. However, as the beverage medium is sweptfrom the mixing chamber by the precursor liquid, the precursor liquiditself may effectively rinse the mixing chamber. In arrangements wherethe beverage medium is a dry material, such as a powder, some precursorliquid may be introduced into the cartridge to pre-wet the medium orotherwise improve an ability to mix the medium with precursor liquid.The wetted medium may be mixed with additional precursor liquid in thecartridge, or the wetted medium may be expelled from the cartridge,e.g., by air pressure, a plunger, etc., to a mixing chamber or otherlocation for additional mixing with precursor liquid. Liquid may beintroduced into a mixing chamber using multiple streams, e.g., toenhance a mixing rate using low flow speeds so as to reduce loss ofdissolved gas.

Also, the mixing chamber 9 may take other suitable forms, e.g., maycause the precursor liquid and beverage medium to move in a spiral,swirl or other fashion to enhance mixing, may have one or more motordriven blades, impellers or other elements to mix contents in thechamber 9, and so on. The mixing chamber 9 may be cooled as well, e.g.,by a refrigeration system, to help cool the beverage provided to the cup18. Alternately, the precursor liquid supply 10 may be arranged to mixthe precursor liquid with the beverage medium in the cartridge 4.

While alternative cartridge configurations are possible, FIGS. 13 and 14show a cartridge 4 that may be used with a beverage making system thatemploys the cartridge to carbonate a beverage precursor liquid and/or toprovide a beverage medium mixed with precursor liquid to form abeverage. In this embodiment, the cartridge 4 includes a container thatdefines an upper compartment or chamber 41, a lower compartment orchamber 42, and a rim or band 44 between a top and bottom of thecartridge 4. The top of the cartridge 4 includes a lid 45 that covers anopening of the container. The lid 45 is piercable to form one or moreopenings so as to access a gas source (not shown) in the uppercompartment 41. (Although in this embodiment, the lid 45 is a separateelement, such as a sheet of foil/polymer laminate attached to thecontainer body, the lid may be molded or otherwise formed integrallywith the body.) Also, a filter 45 a may be positioned below the lid 45,e.g., spaced apart from the lid 45 but parallel to the lid 45, althoughother arrangements are possible. This filter 45 a may help prevent gassource material from exiting the upper compartment 41 during gasproduction. The upper compartment 41 is also defined in part by a wall49 that has a concave up curve, but such a shape is not necessary, e.g.,the wall 49 may be flat or concave down.

The lower compartment or chamber 42 contains a beverage medium (notshown for clarity) that can be mixed with a precursor liquid to form abeverage. A piercable inlet 47 may be located at an underside of the rim44 and adjacent an indexing groove 46 formed in the lower sidewall ofthe cartridge 4. As is discussed in more detail below, the inlet 47 maybe pierced to allow access to the lower compartment 42, e.g., sopressurized gas or liquid can be introduced into the lower compartment42 to move the beverage medium out of an outlet 48 of the lowercompartment 42. In this embodiment, the outlet 48 includes a piercablemembrane that can be pierced and opened to allow the beverage medium toexit, although other arrangements are possible, e.g., a self-closingseptum valve or burstable seal may be provided at the outlet 48 thatopens with increased pressure in the lower compartment 48. Cartridgesare not limited to the arrangement shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, however,and other cartridge configurations, such as those that include only agas source (e.g., only a rim 44 and upper compartment 41) to make acarbonated water, or those that include only a beverage medium (e.g.,only a rim 44 and lower compartment 42), are possible. Where the upperor lower compartment 41, 42 is omitted, the compartment may be replacedby a flat wall that is flush with the rim 44, as an example.

In some embodiments, the cartridge 4 may contain a gas source materialin the form of a plurality of beads of a molecular sieve. The gas sourcematerial may be a charged adsorbent or molecular sieve, e.g., a zeolitematerial that has adsorbed an amount of carbon dioxide gas that isreleased in the presence of water or other activating fluid, whether invapor or liquid form. Note, however, that aspects of the invention arenot necessarily limited to use with carbon dioxide gas, but may be usedwith any suitable gas, such as nitrogen, which is dissolved in somebeers or other beverages, oxygen, air, and others. Thus, reference to“carbonation”, “carbon dioxide source” “carbon dioxide activating fluidsupply”, etc., should not be interpreted as limiting aspects of theinvention and/or any embodiments to use with carbon dioxide only.Instead, aspects of the invention may be used with any suitable gas.

In one embodiment, the charged adsorbent is a zeolite such as analcime,chabazite, clinoptilolite, heulandite, natrolite, phillipsite, orstilbite along with a suitable binder or filler component, e.g., to helpform the zeolite into a desired shape. The zeolite may be naturallyoccurring or synthetic, and may be capable of holding up to about 20%carbon dioxide by weight or more. The zeolite material may be arrangedin any suitable form, such as a solid block (e.g., in disc form),particles of spherical, cubic, irregular or other suitable shape, andothers.

The cartridge 4 container may be made of any suitable materials, and isnot necessarily limited to the constructions shown herein. For example,the cartridge may be made of, or otherwise include, materials thatprovide a barrier to moisture and/or gases, such as oxygen, water vapor,etc. In one embodiment, the cartridge may be made of a molded polymer orpolymer laminate, e.g., formed from a sheet including a layer ofpolystyrene, polypropylene and/or a layer of EVOH and/or other barriermaterial, such as a metallic foil. Moreover, the cartridge materialsand/or construction may vary according to the materials contained in thecartridge. For example, a portion of the cartridge 4 containing a gassource material may require a robust moisture barrier, whereas abeverage medium portion may not require such a high moisture resistance.Thus, the cartridges may be made of different materials and/or indifferent ways. In addition, the cartridge interior may be differentlyconstructed according to a desired function. For example, where beveragemedium is mixed with precursor liquid in the cartridge, a beveragemedium cartridge portion may include baffles or other structures thatcause the liquid/beverage medium to follow a tortuous path so as toencourage mixing. The gas source cartridge portion may be arranged tohold the gas source in a particular location or other arrangement in theinterior space, e.g., to help control wetting of the gas source withactivating liquid. Thus, as used herein, a “cartridge” may take anysuitable form, such as a pod (e.g., opposed layers of filter paperencapsulating a material), capsule, sachet, package, or any otherarrangement. The cartridge may have a defined shape, or may have nodefined shape (as is the case with some sachets or other packages madeentirely of flexible material). The cartridge may be impervious to airand/or liquid, or may allow water and/or air to pass into the cartridge.

A cartridge may also be arranged to provide a visual or other detectableindication regarding the cartridge's fitness for use in forming abeverage. For example, the cartridge may include a pop-up indicator,color indicator or other feature to show that the gas source has been atleast partially activated. Upon viewing this indication, a user maydetermine that the cartridge is not fit for use in a beverage makingmachine. In another embodiment, an RFID tag may be associated with asensor that detects gas source activation (e.g., via pressure increase),beverage medium spoilage (e.g., via temperature increase), or othercharacteristic of the cartridge, which may be transmitted to a reader ofa beverage making machine. The machine may display the condition to auser and/or prevent activation of the machine to use the cartridge toform a beverage.

In one aspect of the invention, the cartridge or cartridges used by thebeverage making system to form a beverage may have a volume that isless, and in some cases substantially less, than a beverage to be madeusing the cartridge(s). For example, a cartridge may have upper andlower compartments 41, 42 that each has a volume that is about 50 ml orless, and yet can be used to form a beverage having a volume of about200-500 ml or more. In some embodiments, an amount of charged adsorbent(e.g., a charged zeolite) of about 10-50 grams (which has a volume ofless than 50 ml) can be used to produce about 300-1000 ml of carbonatedwater having a carbonation level of up to about 4-5 volumes. Moreover,it is well known that beverage-making syrups or powders having a volumeof less than about 50 ml, or less than about 100 ml, can be used to makea suitably flavored beverage having a volume of about 300-500 ml. Thus,relatively small volume cartridges (or a single cartridge in somearrangements) having a volume of about 100 ml to about 250 ml or lessmay be used to form a carbonated beverage having a volume of about 100to 1000 ml, and a carbonation level of at least about 1 to 4 volumes inless than 120 seconds, e.g., about 60 seconds, and using pressures under80 psi.

The cartridge holder 3 may engage the cartridge 4 in a variety ofdifferent ways, and in this illustrative embodiment, the lower portion32 of the cartridge holder 3 includes a basket 32 b that defines thecartridge receiving area 32 a (see FIGS. 6 and 10). The cartridge 4 maybe received in the basket 32 b so that the rim 44 rests on an upperledge or surface of the basket 32 b so the basket 32 b supports theweight of the cartridge 4 prior to closure of the cartridge holder 3.With the cartridge 4 in the basket 32 b, the upper portion 31 of thecartridge holder 3 may move downwardly to clamp the cartridge 4 inplace, e.g., to house the upper compartment 41 in a sealed space. Inthis embodiment, the upper portion 31 of the cartridge holder includes apiston 36 (see FIG. 6) that can move vertically in a cavity of the upperportion 31 and is arranged to contact the cartridge rim 44 and clampdownwardly on the rim 44 to form a seal between the piston 36 and therim 44. In this embodiment, a wave spring or other resilient element(not shown) urges the piston 36 to move downwardly relative to the upperportion 31, but deforms somewhat with contact with the rim 44 of thecartridge 4 to allow the piston 36 to move into the cavity. The piston36 may have one or more gaskets, e.g., an o-ring, that engages the wallof the cavity so that the piston 36 and other parts of the upper portion31 define a pressure-tight space in which the upper compartment 41 ofthe cartridge 4 can be held. This way, pressurized gas released by thecartridge 4 may be prevented from leaking from the cavity, and can beused to carbonate a beverage. Also, the piston 36 may be movablevertically in the cavity such that as pressure builds in the cavity, thegas pressure tends to push the piston 36 downwardly and out of thecavity. This action can help the piston 36 clamp the cartridge 4 moretightly at the rim 44, helping to improve a seal between the piston 36and cartridge 4 as the pressure increases.

As the upper portion 31 is moved to the closed position, the uppercompartment 41 of the cartridge 4 may be received into the piston 36 andthe cavity in which the piston 36 is located until the piston 36 urgesthe cartridge 4 to move downwardly toward the lower portion 32 of thecartridge holder 3. This downward movement can cause two actions, i.e.,piercing of the inlet 47 and the outlet 48 of the lower compartment 42.That is, the basket 32 b may be spring biased to move upwardly andremain in an upper position with the cartridge 4 initially placed in thebasket 32 b, but moves downwardly as the cartridge holder is closed.Thus, the clamping force of the upper portion 31 of the cartridge holder(e.g., the piston 36) can overcome the spring bias on the basket 32 b,causing the basket 32 b and the cartridge 4 to move downwardly relativeto the lower portion 32. This downward movement may cause a dispense gaspiercing element 33 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) to contact the cartridge at theinlet 47 and pierce the inlet 47 so that the dispense gas piercingelement 33 can deliver pressurized gas into the lower compartment 42. (Agasket or other seal at the piercing element 33 can engage the cartridge4 at the inlet 47 to form a leak-resistant connection at the inlet 47.As will also be understood, the dispense gas piercing element 33 may beconnected to a line that provides pressurized gas, e.g., from an airpump 43—see FIG. 15.) In accordance with an aspect of the invention, thecartridge may be pierced at an underside of the rim 44 to provide anopening through which pressurized gas or liquid can be introduced tomove beverage medium out of the lower compartment 42. Since the rim 44may be made relatively robustly to establish a desired seal with thecartridge holder and to oppose a piercing force of the piercing element33, a remainder of the cartridge 4 may be made out of relatively weak orless robust material or construction, e.g., to reduce cost and/or weightof the cartridge. Thus, the cartridge may be arranged to allow forreliable piercing for introduction of pressurized gas into the lowercompartment 42 and sealing with the cartridge holder at the rim 44, yetstill keep materials requirements to a minimum.

Downward movement of the cartridge 4 and basket 32 b may also cause anoutlet piercing element (e.g., the annular rim 91 of the mixing chamber9) to contact the piercable membrane or other cartridge portion at theoutlet 48 so that the outlet 48 is opened. In this embodiment, theoutlet piercing element is received into an annular groove of thecartridge 4 above the piercable membrane at the outlet 48. Movement ofthe annular rim into the groove stresses the piercable membrane suchthat the membrane, which may be scored or otherwise have a line ofweakness that defines a preferential opening area, is pierced and pulledback so the outlet 48 can dispense beverage medium to the mixing chamber9.

Downward movement of the upper portion of the cartridge holder 3 mayalso cause piercing of the cartridge lid 45 or other action such thatthe upper compartment 41 can be accessed. In this illustrativeembodiment, the upper portion 31 includes a pair of piercing elements361 arranged to pierce the lid 45 to introduce activating fluid into theupper compartment 41, and a piercing element 362 arranged to pierce thelid 45 to allow gas emitted by the gas source to exit the cartridge 4.Though not necessary, the piercing elements 361 are arranged topenetrate through the lid 45 and the filter 45 a so that activatingfluid can be introduced below the filter 45 a. However, the piercingelement 362 is arranged to pierce only the lid 45, but not the filter 45a. In this way, gas emitted in the upper compartment 41 must passthrough the filter 45 a before exiting to the carbonating gas supply.This may help prevent gas source material, such as zeolite particles,from exiting the cartridge 4 and passing to the carbonating gas supply30. A variety of arrangements are possible for the filter 45 a, such asa piece of filter paper mentioned above, a hydrophobic non-wovenmaterial that permits gas to pass, but resists liquid passage, or otherelement that permits gas to exit the cartridge 4, but resists movementof gas source material and/or liquid. In addition or alternately to thefilter 45 a, a conduit that receives the carbonating gas may include afilter element, such as a filter plug in the conduit, to help furtherresist movement of gas source materials to the carbonation tank 6. Thepiercing elements, may include a hollow needle, spike, blade, knife orother arrangement, to form a suitable opening in the cartridge 4. Inthis embodiment, the piercing elements 361 include tubular elements withan activating fluid discharge opening at a distal end such thatactivating fluid can be released from the piercing elements 361 belowthe filter 45 a. In contrast, the piercing element 362 is relativelydull so as to penetrate the lid 45, but not the filter 45 a.Alternately, the cartridge 4 may have defined openings, e.g., one ormore ports that include a septum or other valve-type element thatpermits flow into and/or out of the cartridge 4. Also, a movable guardelement may be provided to help resist contact of a user's fingers withthe piercing elements, e.g., a spring loaded plate may be mounted insideof the piston 36 and arranged to conceal the piercing elements when theupper portion 31 is open, but retracts so the piercing elements extendthrough the plate to penetrate the cartridge 4 when the upper portion isclosed.

While a beverage making machine 1 may employ different liquid and gasflow path arrangements, FIG. 15 shows one such arrangement that may beused in the beverage making machine 1. In this embodiment, precursorliquid provided by a precursor liquid supply 10 originates in thereservoir 11, which may be removable from the machine 1, e.g., to allowfor easier filling, or may be fixed in place. Although in thisembodiment a user initially provides the beverage precursor liquid inthe reservoir 11, the precursor supply 10 may include other componentsto provide liquid to the reservoir 11, such as a plumbed water line,controllable valve, and liquid level sensor to automatically fill thereservoir 11 to a desired level, a second water reservoir or other tankthat is fluidly connected to the reservoir 11, and other arrangements.Liquid is delivered by a pump 14 to a carbonation tank 6 via a checkvalve 51 f upstream of the pump 14 and a check valve 51 g downstream ofthe pump 14. The check valves 51 f, 51 g may help prevent backflow fromthe carbonation tank 6, e.g., when the tank 6 is relatively highlypressurized during the carbonating process. In this instance, the pump14 is a diaphragm pump, but other pump types are possible. Thecarbonation tank 6 may be suitably filled with liquid using any suitablecontrol method, such as by sensing a level in the tank 6 using aconductive probe, pressure sensor, optical sensor or other sensor. Atank vent valve 51 b may be opened during filling to allow the pressurein the tank 6 to vent, or may remain closed during filling, e.g., toallow a pressure build up in the tank 6. An activating fluid supply 20which includes a pump 13 is arranged to provide activating fluid to theupper compartment of a cartridge 4, i.e., to cause the gas sourcematerial to release gas to the carbonation tank 6. Gas emitted by thecartridge 4 is routed to the tank 6 via a valve 51 d. A control circuit5 may control operation of the valves 51, e.g., the valves 51 mayinclude electromechanical or other actuators, as well as include sensorsto detect various characteristics, such as temperature in the tank 6,pressure in the tank 6, a flow rate of gas or liquid in any of thesystem flow lines, etc.

To form a beverage, a user may associate a cartridge 4 with the machine1, e.g., by loading the cartridge 4 into a cartridge holder 3. Ofcourse, a cartridge may be associated with the machine 1 in other ways,such as by screwing a portion of the cartridge into engagement with themachine 1, etc. With the cartridge 4 associated with the machine 1, thecontrol circuit 5 may then activate the machine 1 to deliver liquid tothe cartridge 4, e.g., to cause carbon dioxide to be generated. (Thoughthis embodiment uses a cartridge with a gas source activated by a fluid,other arrangements are possible.) The control circuit 5 may startoperation of the machine 1 in an automated way, e.g., based on detectingthe presence of a cartridge 4 in the holder 3, detecting liquid in thecarbonation tank 6 and closure of the holder 3, and/or othercharacteristics of the machine 1. Alternately, the control circuit 5 maystart system operation in response to a user interacting with aninterface 52, e.g., pressing a start button or otherwise providing input(e.g., by voice activation) to start beverage preparation.

To initiate carbonation after the tank is provided with a suitableamount of precursor liquid, the vent valve 51 b may be closed and thepump 13 controlled to pump liquid into the upper compartment 41 of acartridge 4 that contains a gas source. That is, the machine 1 mayinclude a carbon dioxide activating fluid supply 20 that provides afluid, e.g., in a controlled volume, at a controlled rate or otherwiseto control a gas production rate, to a cartridge 4 so as to activate acarbon dioxide source in the upper compartment 41 to release carbondioxide gas. In this embodiment, the carbon dioxide source includes acharged adsorbent or molecular sieve, e.g., a zeolite material that hasadsorbed some amount of carbon dioxide gas that is released in thepresence of water, whether in vapor or liquid form. Other arrangementsor additions are possible for the carbon dioxide activating fluid supply20, such as a dedicated liquid supply for the cartridge 4 that isseparate from the precursor liquid supply, a pressure-reducing elementin the conduit, a flow-restrictor in the conduit, a flow meter toindicate an amount and/or flow rate of fluid into the cartridge 4, asyringe, piston pump or other positive displacement device that canmeter desired amounts of liquid (whether water, citric acid or othermaterial) to the cartridge 4, and others. In another embodiment, theactivating fluid supply 20 may include a gravity fed liquid supply thathas a controllable delivery rate, e.g., like the drip-type liquid supplysystems used with intravenous lines for providing liquids to hospitalpatients, or may spray atomized water or other liquid to provide a watervapor or other gas phase activating fluid to the cartridge 4.

A carbon dioxide gas supply 30 may be arranged to provide carbon dioxidegas from the cartridge 4 to an area where the gas is used to carbonatethe liquid, in this case, the carbonation tank 6. The gas supply 30 maybe arranged in any suitable way, and in this illustrative embodimentincludes a conduit that is fluidly connected between the cartridge 4 anda carbonated liquid outlet of the carbonation tank 6. A gas controlvalve 51 d is controllable by the control circuit 5 to open and closethe flow path through the gas supply conduit. (Note that in someembodiments, the valve 51 d may be a check valve that is notcontrollable by the control circuit 5.) In accordance with an aspect ofthe invention, the carbonation gas is delivered via a carbonating gassupply line that is fluidly coupled to the dispense line of thecarbonation tank so as to deliver carbon dioxide gas to the outlet ofthe carbonation tank to carbonate the precursor liquid. This arrangementmay provide advantages, such as introducing the carbonating gas at arelatively low point in the tank, which may help increase contact of thegas with the precursor liquid, thereby enhancing dissolution of the gas.In addition, the flow of carbonating gas through at least a portion ofthe dispense line 38 may help purge the dispense line 38 of liquid,helping to re-carbonate the liquid, if necessary. The gas conduit may beconnected to the dispense line 38 close to the dispense valve 51 e so asto purge as much liquid from the dispense line 38 as possible.

The gas supply 30 may include other components than a conduit and valve,such as pressure regulators, safety valves, additional control valves, acompressor or pump (e.g., to increase a pressure of the gas), anaccumulator (e.g., to help maintain a relatively constant gas pressureand/or store gas), and so on. (The use of an accumulator or similar gasstorage device may obviate the need to control the rate of gas output bya cartridge. Instead, the gas source may be permitted to emit gas in anuncontrolled manner, with the emitted gas being stored in an accumulatorfor later delivery and use in producing a sparkling beverage. Gasreleased from the accumulator could be released in a controlled manner,e.g., at a controlled pressure and/or flow rate.) Also, carbonation ofthe precursor liquid may occur via one or more mechanisms or processes,and thus is not limited to one particular process. For example, whiledelivery of carbon dioxide gas to the outlet of the carbonation tank 6may function to help dissolve carbon dioxide in the liquid, other systemcomponents may further aid in the carbonation process. In someembodiments, a sparger may be used to introduce gas into the carbonationtank, precursor liquid may be circulated in the tank, and/or othertechniques may be used to alter a rate at which carbonating gas isdissolved.

Before, during and/or after carbonation of the liquid in the carbonationtank 6, a cooling system 7 may chill the liquid. The cooling system 7may operate in any suitable way, e.g., may include ice, refrigerationcoils or other cooling elements in thermal contact with the carbonationtank 6. In addition, the carbonation tank 6 may include a mixer or otheragitator to move the liquid in the tank 6 to enhance gas dissolutionand/or cooling. Operation in forming a beverage may continue for apreset amount of time, or based on other conditions, such as a detectedlevel of carbonation, a drop in gas production by the cartridge 4, orother parameters. During operation, the amount of liquid provided to thecartridge 4 may be controlled to control gas output by the cartridge 4.Control of the liquid provided to the cartridge 4 may be made based on atiming sequence (e.g., the pump may be operated for a period of time,followed by stoppage for a period, and so on), based on detectedpressure (e.g., liquid supply may be stopped when the pressure in thetank 6 exceeds a threshold, and resume when the pressure falls below thethreshold or another value), based on a volume of activating liquiddelivered to the holder 3 (e.g., a specific volume of liquid may bedelivered to the cartridge 4 in one or more discrete volumes), or otherarrangements.

With the precursor liquid in the carbonation tank 6 ready fordispensing, the vent valve 51 b may be opened to reduce the pressure inthe carbonation tank 6 to an ambient pressure. As is known in the art,depressurizing the carbonation tank prior to dispensing may aid inmaintaining a desired carbonation level of the liquid during dispensing.With the tank 6 vented, the vent valve 51 b may be closed and a pumpvent valve 51 a may be opened. The pump 14 may then be operated to drawair or other gas into the inlet side of the pump 14 and pump the gasinto the carbonation tank 6 so as to force the precursor liquid in thetank 6 to flow into the dispense line 38. That is, the arrangement ofFIG. 15 incorporates another aspect of the invention in that a singlepump may be used to both deliver precursor liquid to a carbonation tankor other carbonation location as well as deliver pressurized gas (air)to the carbonation tank to dispense carbonated liquid from the tank.This feature, optionally combined with the feature of using the samepump to deliver activating fluid to a gas source, may make for asimplified system with fewer components. While the pump 14 delivers airto the carbonation tank, the dispense valve 51 e is opened and the gasvalve 51 d is closed during liquid dispensing. The dispensed liquid mayenter a mixing chamber 9 at which the carbonated liquid and beveragemedium provided from the lower compartment 42 of the cartridge 4 arecombined. The beverage medium may be moved out of the cartridge 4 and tothe mixing chamber 9 by introducing pressurized gas into the lowercompartment 42, e.g., by way of an air pump 43. Other arrangements arepossible, however, such as routing gas from the upper compartment 41under pressure to the lower compartment 42.

The beverage medium may include any suitable beverage making materials(beverage medium), such as concentrated syrups, ground coffee or liquidcoffee extract, tea leaves, dry herbal tea, powdered beverageconcentrate, dried fruit extract or powder, natural and/or artificialflavors or colors, acids, aromas, viscosity modifiers, clouding agents,antioxidants, powdered or liquid concentrated bouillon or other soup,powdered or liquid medicinal materials (such as powdered vitamins,minerals, bioactive ingredients, drugs or other pharmaceuticals,nutriceuticals, etc.), powdered or liquid milk or other creamers,sweeteners, thickeners, and so on. (As used herein, “mixing” of a liquidwith a beverage medium includes a variety of mechanisms, such as thedissolving of substances in the beverage medium in the liquid, theextraction of substances from the beverage medium, and/or the liquidotherwise receiving some material from the beverage medium.)

The control circuit 5 may use one or more sensors to control acarbonation level of the precursor liquid, a temperature to which theliquid is chilled (if at all), a time at which and during which beveragemedium is delivered to the mixing chamber 9, a rate at which carbonatinggas is produced and delivered to the tank 6, and/or other aspects of thebeverage making process. For example, a temperature sensor may detectthe temperature of the precursor liquid in the carbonation tank 6. Thisinformation may be used to control system operation, e.g., warmerprecursor liquid temperatures may cause the control circuit 5 toincrease an amount of time allowed for carbon dioxide gas to bedissolved in the precursor liquid. In other arrangements, thetemperature of the precursor liquid may be used to determine whether themachine 1 will be operated to carbonate the liquid or not. For example,in some arrangements, the user may be required to add suitably coldliquid (and/or ice) to the reservoir 11 before the machine 1 willoperate. (As discussed above, relatively warm precursor liquidtemperatures may cause the liquid to be insufficiently carbonated insome conditions.) In another embodiment, a pressure sensor may be usedto detect a pressure in the carbonation tank 6. This information may beused to determine whether the carbonation tank 6 is properly orimproperly filled, if a pressure leak is present, if carbonation iscomplete and/or to determine whether sufficient carbon dioxide gas isbeing produced by the cartridge 4. For example, low detected pressuremay indicate that more carbon dioxide needs to be generated, and thuscause the control circuit 5 to allow more liquid to be delivered by theactivating fluid supply 20 to the cartridge 4. Likewise, high pressuresmay cause the flow of liquid from the activating fluid supply 20 to beslowed or stopped. Thus, the control circuit 5 can control the gaspressure in the carbonation tank 6 and/or other areas of the machine 1by controlling an amount of liquid delivered to the cartridge 4.Alternately, low pressure may indicate that there is a leak in thesystem and cause the system to indicate an error is present. In someembodiments, measured pressure may indicate that carbonation iscomplete. For example, pressure in the tank 6 may initially be detectedto be at a high level, e.g. around 70-80 psi, and later be detected tobe at a low level, e.g., around 40 psi due to gas being dissolved in theliquid. The low pressure detection may indicate that carbonation iscomplete. A sensor could also detect the presence of a cartridge 4 inthe cartridge holder 3, e.g., via RFID tag, optical recognition asdiscussed above, physical sensing, etc. If no cartridge 4 is detected,or if the control circuit 5 detects that the cartridge 4 is spent, thecontrol circuit 5 may prompt the user to insert a new or differentcartridge 4. For example, in some embodiments, a single cartridge 4 maybe used to carbonate multiple volumes of precursor liquid. The controlcircuit 5 may keep track of the number of times that the cartridge 4 hasbeen used, and once a limit has been reached (e.g., 10 drinks), promptthe user to replace the cartridge. Other parameters may be detected by asensor, such as a carbonation level of the precursor liquid (which maybe used to control the carbonation process), the presence of a suitablevessel to receive a beverage discharged from the machine 1 (e.g., toprevent beverage from being spilled), the presence of water or otherprecursor liquid in the carbonation tank 6 or elsewhere in the precursorsupply 10, a flow rate of liquid in the pump 13 or associated conduit,the presence of a headspace in the carbonation tank 6 (e.g., if noheadspace is desired, a valve may be activated to discharge theheadspace gas, or if only carbon dioxide is desired to be in theheadspace, a snifting valve may be activated to discharge air in theheadspace and replace the air with carbon dioxide), and so on.

The control circuit 5 may also be arranged to allow a user to define alevel of carbonation (i.e., amount of dissolved gas in the beverage,whether carbon dioxide or other). For example, the control circuit 5 mayinclude a touch screen display or other user interface 52 that allowsthe user to define a desired carbonation level, such as by allowing theuser to select a carbonation volume level of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, orselecting one of a low, medium or high carbonation level. Cartridgesused by the machine 1 may include sufficient gas source material to makethe highest level of carbonation selectable, but the control circuit 5may control the system to dissolve an amount of gas in the beverage thatis consistent with the selected level. For example, while all cartridgesmay be arranged for use in creating a “high” carbonation beverage, thecontrol circuit 5 may operate the machine 1 to use less of the availablegas (or cause the gas source to emit less gas than possible) incarbonating the beverage. Carbonation levels may be controlled based ona detected carbonation level by a sensor, a detected pressure in thecarbonation tank 6 or elsewhere, an amount of gas output by thecartridge 4, or other features.

In another embodiment, the cartridge 4 may include indicia readably bythe controller, e.g., an RFID tag, barcode, alphanumeric string, etc.,that indicates a carbonation level to be used for the beverage. Afterdetermining the carbonation level from the cartridge 4, the controlcircuit 5 may control the machine 1 accordingly. Thus, a user need notselect the carbonation level by interacting with the machine 1, butrather a carbonation level may be automatically adjusted based on thebeverage selected. In yet another embodiment, a user may be able toselect a gas source cartridge 4 that matches a carbonation level theuser desires. (Different carbonation levels may be provided in thedifferent cartridges by having different amounts of gas source in thecartridge 4.) For example, cartridges providing low, medium and highcarbonation levels may be provided for selection by a user, and the usermay pick the cartridge that matches the desired carbonation level, andprovide the selected cartridge to the machine 1. Thus, a gas sourcecartridge labeled “low” may be chosen and used with the system to createa low level carbonated beverage.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of thisinvention, it is to be appreciated that various alterations,modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled inthe art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intendedto be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spiritand scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description anddrawings are by way of example only.

1-54. (canceled)
 55. A beverage making machine, comprising: a cartridgeholder arranged to hold a cartridge containing a beverage makingmaterial, the cartridge holder including a first portion and a secondportion, the first portion and the second portion cooperating to enclosethe cartridge within the cartridge holder and being configured for afirst relative movement and a second relative movement relative to oneanother, the first and second relative movements being different typesof movement, and wherein at least one of the first and second relativemovements are adapted to properly seat the cartridge within thecartridge holder; and an actuator operatively associated with thecartridge holder configured to manipulate the first and second portionsand to cause the first and second relative movements.
 56. The beveragemaking machine of claim 55, wherein the first relative movementcomprises a rotational-type movement.
 57. The beverage making machine ofclaim 56, wherein the second relative movement comprises a linear-typemovement.
 58. The beverage making machine of claim 57, wherein thesecond relative movement is adapted to properly seat the cartridgewithin the cartridge holder.
 59. The beverage making machine of claim55, further comprising a piercing element arranged within the cartridgeholder, the piercing element adapted to puncture the cartridge inresponse to first or second relative movements.
 60. The beverage makingmachine of claim 55, wherein the second portion comprises a lowerportion that is adapted to receive the cartridge at a cartridgereceiving area, and wherein the lower portion includes a featureengageable with an indexing groove of the cartridge to rotationallyposition the cartridge within the cartridge holder.
 61. The beveragemaking machine of claim 55, wherein: the beverage making machine furthercomprises a cam and a cam follower associated with the cartridge holder;and in response to the actuator causing the manipulation of the firstand second portions, the cam and the cam follower cooperate to define atleast one of the first and second relative movements of the first andsecond portion.
 62. The beverage making machine of claim 61, wherein thecam defines: a linear path for the cam follower during an initial phaseof the first or second relative movements; and a curved path for the camfollower during a later phase of the first or second relative movements.63. The beverage making machine of claim 55, wherein the first portioncomprises an upper portion arranged to clamp the cartridge in place. 64.The beverage making machine of claim 55, wherein the cartridge holderfurther comprises a piston arranged for axial movement relative to thecartridge and configured to form a pressurized chamber over a portion ofthe cartridge.
 65. The beverage making machine of claim 55, furthercomprising a liquid supply fluidly coupled to the beverage makingmachine.
 66. The beverage making machine of claim 55, wherein theactuator includes a handle pivotally mounted to a frame component of thebeverage making machine and being manipulatable between an open positionand a closed position, the first and second portions being configuredfor the first and second relative movements in response to the handlebeing manipulated to the closed position.
 67. The beverage makingmachine of claim 66, wherein the actuator comprises a pair of gearsinterdigitated with one another, the pair of gears being configured fortransferring an input force from a first rotational axis of a first gearof the pair of gears to a second rotational axis of a second gear of thepair of gears, and wherein the second gear is associated with thecartridge holder to manipulate the first and second portions relative toone another in response to the input force being received along thefirst rotational axis of the first gear.
 68. A beverage making machine,comprising: a cartridge holder arranged to hold a cartridge containing abeverage making material, the cartridge holder including a first portionand a second portion, the first and second portions cooperating toenclose the cartridge within the cartridge holder and to properly seatthe cartridge at a dispense position within the cartridge holder; anactuator operatively associated with the cartridge holder configured tomanipulate the first and second portions; and control circuitryincluding a sensor, the control circuitry being configured to determinea characteristic of the beverage making material at the dispenseposition.
 69. The beverage making machine of claim 68, wherein the firstand second portions are configured for a first relative movement and asecond relative movement relative to one another, the first and secondrelative movements being different types of movement.
 70. The beveragemaking machine of claim 69, wherein at least one of the first and secondrelative movements are adapted to properly seat the cartridge within thecartridge holder.
 71. The beverage making machine of claim 69, wherein:the first relative movement comprises a rotational-type movement; andthe second relative movement comprises a linear-type movement.
 72. Thebeverage making machine of claim 69, wherein the characteristic includescarbonation information of the beverage making material; and wherein thecontrol circuitry is further adapted to initiate production of one of acarbonated beverage or a non-carbonated beverage based on thecarbonation information.
 73. The beverage making machine of claim 69,wherein the characteristic includes authorization information based on adetection, using the sensor or one or more of a security ink, a specificmarking, or an RFID tag; and wherein the control circuitry is furtheradapted to initiate production or cancellation of production of abeverage based on the authorization information.
 74. The beverage makingmachine of claim 73, wherein the second portion comprises a lowerportion adapted to receive the cartridge at a cartridge receiving area,and that includes a feature engageable with an indexing groove of thecartridge for rotationally positioning the cartridge within thecartridge holder to align the sensor with one or more of the securityink, the specific marking, or the RFID tag.
 75. The beverage makingmachine of claim 69, wherein: the sensor comprises a cartridge sensorarranged to detect a presence of a cartridge at a cartridge receivingarea of the cartridge holder; the first portion is moveable relative tothe second portion to define an open position in which the cartridge isassociatable with the cartridge holder and a closed position in whichthe first and second portions enclose the cartridge within the cartridgeholder; and the control circuitry further includes a holder sensorconfigured to determine an intermediate position of the first portionbetween the open position and the closed position, the control circuitrybeing further arranged to activate the cartridge sensor when the holdersensor detects the first portion at the intermediate position.
 76. Thebeverage making machine of claim 75, wherein the control circuitry isfurther programmed to deactivate the cartridge sensor if the firstportion is detected at the open position after the cartridge sensor isactivated.
 77. The beverage making machine of claim 76, wherein thecontrol circuitry is further programmed to use information from thecartridge sensor after the holder sensor detects the first portion atthe closed position; and wherein the control circuitry is furtherprogrammed to cease using the information from the cartridge sensorafter detecting the first portion at the open position after thecartridge sensor is activated.